--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it all comes back to the…" description: "\"I think it all comes back to the individual. My instrument's just a pile of metal and wood! If you listen to the way I speak I have a lot of rhythm, us..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d76/stefon-harris-26052_individual_i-think-it-all-comes-back-to-the-individ_683198.jpg" --- # I think it all comes back to the individual. My… ![“I think it all comes back to the individual. My instrument's just a pile of metal and wood! If you listen to the way I speak I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument that concept comes through very clearly. In fact some people who've seen me play have noticed…” quote by Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d76/stefon-harris-26052_individual_i-think-it-all-comes-back-to-the-individ_683198.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d76/stefon-harris-26052_individual_i-think-it-all-comes-back-to-the-individ_683198.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d76/stefon-harris-26052_individual_i-think-it-all-comes-back-to-the-individ_683198.jpg) > “I think it all comes back to the individual. My instrument's just a pile of metal and wood! If you listen to the way I speak I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument that concept comes through very clearly. In fact some people who've seen me play have noticed that I'm singing - but it's more that I'm actually speaking. So it's not really about the instrument. But for me, in my thinking, the music is all about the melody. When I compose, 99 percent of the time I start with the melody.” [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The musician emphasizes melody as the core of music, viewing the instrument as a vehicle for personal expression. **In simple terms:** Melody drives music; the instrument is just a tool. Key Takeaway Prioritize melody in composition and performance. Themes music creativity self‑expression Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical musical When to use this quote - composing - live performance - music education - studio recording Key Concepts melodic focus instrumental perspective Questions to Reflect On - How does your instrument shape your melodic ideas? - Can melody exist without rhythm? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on melody may overlook rhythmic complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Melody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melody/) [Metals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metals/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [If you listen to the way I speak, I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/if-you-listen-to-the-way-i-speak-i-have-a-lot-of-rhythm-use-a-lot-of/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [Language is not only the vehicle of thought, it is a great and efficient instrument in thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphry-davy/language-is-not-only-the-vehicle-of-thought-it-is-a-great-and/) [Humphry Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphry-davy/) > [Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can't use the wrong words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/style-is-a-very-simple-matter-it-is-all-rhythm-once-you-get-that-you-2/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can't use the wrong words. But on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/style-is-a-very-simple-matter-it-is-all-rhythm-once-you-get-that-you/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [A good melody may be translated into any language while still remaining consistent with the tune since music and melody know no boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanishk-bagchi/a-good-melody-may-be-translated-into-any-language-while-still/) [Tanishk Bagchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanishk-bagchi/) > [Music is the melody whose text is the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/music-is-the-melody-whose-text-is-the-world/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Music is the melody that longs to be heard by someone who can appreciate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-vearnon/music-is-the-melody-that-longs-to-be-heard-by-someone-who-can/) [Suzette Vearnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-vearnon/) > [“O music! A melody occurs to you; you sing it silently, inwardly only; you steep your being in it; it takes possession of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/o-music-a-melody-occurs-to-you-you-sing-it-silently-inwardly-only-you/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [It's always music first, or melody and words together, but never words first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/it-s-always-music-first-or-melody-and-words-together-but-never-words/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [“Music is a melody of words that gets into your soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-mackie/music-is-a-melody-of-words-that-gets-into-your-soul/) Fiona MacKie > [The only form of music is melody, without melody music is not feasible, and music and melody are quite inseparable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/the-only-form-of-music-is-melody-without-melody-music-is-not-feasible/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [Harmony is the third element of music, after melody and rhythm, and also the one which requires the most study to actually master. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chilly-gonzales/harmony-is-the-third-element-of-music-after-melody-and-rhythm-and/) [Chilly Gonzales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chilly-gonzales/) > [Most of the time, I'll be conducting the orchestra, but there will be some pieces that I'll be playing an instrument as well, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/most-of-the-time-i-ll-be-conducting-the-orchestra-but-there-will-be/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [I've been playing my instrument since I was about three or four. That's when I started banging around on the piano, trying to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-wolff/i-ve-been-playing-my-instrument-since-i-was-about-three-or-four-that/) [Nat Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-wolff/) > [When I got to high school, to be playing an instrument was really uncool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/when-i-got-to-high-school-to-be-playing-an-instrument-was-really/) [Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/) ## More by Stefon Harris > [It's about being here in the moment, accepting one another and allowing creativity to flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/it-s-about-being-here-in-the-moment-accepting-one-another-and/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [Miles Davis is a major influence of mine in terms of the way that I am as a bandleader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/miles-davis-is-a-major-influence-of-mine-in-terms-of-the-way-that-i/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [I don't really see huge barriers between any styles of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/i-don-t-really-see-huge-barriers-between-any-styles-of-music/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [I listen to a lot of singers, because I find phrasing to be one of the most essential elements of playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/i-listen-to-a-lot-of-singers-because-i-find-phrasing-to-be-one-of-the/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [Italy has great food and Barcelona has great energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/italy-has-great-food-and-barcelona-has-great-energy/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [If you listen to the way I speak, I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/if-you-listen-to-the-way-i-speak-i-have-a-lot-of-rhythm-use-a-lot-of/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [Every ‘mistake’ is an opportunity in jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/every-mistake-is-an-opportunity-in-jazz/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [One of the things I'm adamant about as a bandleader is not micromanaging. I'm an advocate for the concept of allowing everyone to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/one-of-the-things-i-m-adamant-about-as-a-bandleader-is-not/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [I love Amsterdam. The city is vibrant and alive. It's fresh and so open. It's definitely one of my favorite places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/i-love-amsterdam-the-city-is-vibrant-and-alive-it-s-fresh-and-so-open/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [Ultimately, what we do as musicians, I think of us as a type of emotional engineer. We essential take these sound waves, this sound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/ultimately-what-we-do-as-musicians-i-think-of-us-as-a-type-of/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [Being at home with my family always inspires me. I find it hard to be inspired when I'm on the move. I'm not creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/being-at-home-with-my-family-always-inspires-me-i-find-it-hard-to-be/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [One of the things I'm adamant about as a bandleader is not micromanaging. I'm an advocate for the concept of allowing everyone to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/one-of-the-things-i-m-adamant-about-as-a-bandleader-is-not-2/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [I'm a spa person. Massages keep me relaxed, so I always try to make time for them when I tour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/i-m-a-spa-person-massages-keep-me-relaxed-so-i-always-try-to-make/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [I think when you look back at the different eras in jazz, what leads from one to another is never a melodic revolution, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/i-think-when-you-look-back-at-the-different-eras-in-jazz-what-leads/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) > [The way I look at music, what I'm interested in is not necessarily creativity - in many ways I think creativity is overrated, actually.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefon-harris/the-way-i-look-at-music-what-i-m-interested-in-is-not-necessarily/) [Stefon Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) [Explore all 22 Stefon Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefon-harris/) ## More Individual quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Nations, like individuals, interest us in their growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/nations-like-individuals-interest-us-in-their-growth/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/) [John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [The State must act as the guardian of a millennial future in the face of which the wishes and the selfishness of the individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-state-must-act-as-the-guardian-of-a-millennial-future-in-the-face/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Youre always going to have some individual incidents that arent going to show off the Ryder Cup in the true form and spirit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-kite/youre-always-going-to-have-some-individual-incidents-that-arent-going/) [Tom Kite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-kite/) > [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 10,654 Individual quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it all comes back to the individual. My instrument's just a pile of metal and wood! If you listen to the way I speak I have a lot of rhythm, use a lot of accents. When I'm playing my instrument that concept comes through very clearly. In fact some people who've seen me play have noticed that I'm singing - but it's more that I'm actually speaking. So it's not really about the instrument. But for me, in my thinking, the music is all about the melody. 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